A density functional theory study of the 5-exo cyclization reactions of alpha-substituted 6,6-diphenyl-5-hexenyl radicals

Density functional theory computations were done to study the 5-exo radical cyclization reactions of alpha-substituted 6,6-diphenyl-5-hexenyl radicals. The methoxy electron donor group substitution reduced the barrier to reaction by about 0.5 kcal/mol. On the other hand, the electron acceptor group substitutions (ethoxycarbonyl, carboxylic acid, carboxylate, and cyano) raised the barrier to reaction by varying amounts (0.5-2.1 kcal /mol). The entropic terms of these cyclization reactions are briefly discussed. Solvent effects on these reactions were explored by calculations that included a polarizable continuum model for the solvent. The density functional theory calculated results were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data available in the literature and help to explain some of the observed variation in these types of cyclization reactions with various substitutions. Our results also provide an explanation for why the rate constant for the carboxylate group substituted radical was found to be an order of magnitude smaller than the rate constant for those radicals with carboxylic acid and ethoxycarbonyl substitutions.     

Hydroxylamines as oxidation catalysts: thermochemical and kinetic studies

Bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE) of hydroxylamines containing alkyl, aryl, vinyl, and carbonyl substituents at the nitrogen atom have been determined by using the EPR radical equilibration technique in order to study the effect of the substituents on the O-H bond strength of these compounds. It has been found that substitution of an alkyl group directly bonded to the nitrogen atom with vinyl or aryl groups has a small effect, while substitution with acyl groups induces a large increase of the O-H BDE value. Thus, dialkyl hydroxylamines have O-H bond strengths of only ca. 70 kcal/mol, while acylhydroxylamines and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI), containing two acyl substituents at nitrogen, are characterized by BDE values of ca. 80 and 88 kcal/mol, respectively. Since the phthalimide N-oxyl radical (PINO) has been recently proposed as an efficient oxidation catalyst of hydrocarbons or other substrates, the large BDE value found for the parent hydroxylamine (NHPI) justifies this proposal. Kinetic studies, carried out in order to better understand the mechanism of the NHPI-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of cumene, are consistent with a simple kinetic model where the rate-determining step is the hydrogen atom abstraction from the hydroxylamine by cumylperoxyl radicals.     

Stereoselective cascade reactions that incorporate a 7-exo acyl radical cyclization

[reaction: see text] Radical cascades that feature a 7-exo acyl radical cyclization followed by a 6-exo or 5-exo alkyl radical cyclization proceed with very good yields and diastereoselectivities. Two stereocenters are created by the reaction, and a single isomeric product was obtained from each of the five substrates examined. The relative configurations of the products are consistent with cyclizations occurring via chairlike or pseudochairlike transition states.     

Preparation of polycyclic systems by sequential 5-exo-digonal radical cyclization, 1,5-hydrogen transfer from silicon, and 5-endo-trigonal cyclization

Radicals of type 1 undergo 5-exo diagonal cyclization, and the resulting vinyl radical abstracts hydrogen from silicon to afford a silicon-centered radical. This radical closes in a 5-endo trigonal manner to generate radicals of type 4, which are reduced (4 --> 5) by stannane, except when the starting acetylene carries a terminal trimethylstannyl group. In this case, radicals 4 expel trimethylstannyl radical to afford vinyl silanes 6. The stereochemical outcome of the radical cascade 1 --> 5 is controlled by the stereochemistry of the oxygen-bearing carbon in 1 (see starred atom). The sequence can be initiated by carbon-, alpha-substituted carbon-, oxyacyl-, and carbamoyl radicals and generates a silicon-containing ring fused onto a carbocycle or heterocycle. Numerous examples are described, as well as a number of transformations of the final cyclization products, especially their response to n-Bu(4)NF and to BF(3).OEt(2), reagents that cleave the newly formed carbon-silicon bond.     

Diastereoselective radical hydrogenation of alpha-(1-Hydroxyalkyl)vinyl sulfoxides and sulfones controlled by intramolecular hydrogen bonding

The reaction of (S)-alpha-(1-hydroxyalkyl)vinyl sulfoxides (S)-5 with alkyl radicals and tributyltin hydride gave the addition-hydrogenation products with high diastereoselectivity, whereas the reaction with (R)-alpha-(1-hydroxyalkyl)vinyl sulfoxides (R)-5 resulted in complete recovery of the starting sulfoxides. Stereoselective intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the hydroxy group and the diastereotopic sulfonyl oxygen led to high diastereoselectivity in the radical reaction of alpha-(1-hydroxyethyl)vinyl sulfone 12. An important role of intramolecular hydrogen bonding on the diastereoselectivity as well as the reactivity toward alkyl radicals is discussed.     

Stereoselective synthesis of 2,4,5-trisubstituted piperidines via radical cyclization

A novel approach to 2,4,5-trisubstituted piperidines is reported, involving the 6-exo cyclization of stabilized radicals onto α,β-unsaturated esters. Only two of the four possible diastereoisomers are observed, with diastereomeric ratios ranging from 3:2 to 40:1 when the radical stabilizing group is vinyl or phenyl. Cyclization of a (triethylsilyl)vinyl-stabilized radical gives the corresponding piperidine radical as a single diastereoisomer that may either be trapped by tributyltin hydride to afford the 2,4,5-trisubstituted piperidine or undergo a second 5-endo cyclization onto the (triethylsilyl)vinyl substituent to produce the 3,5,7-trisubstituted octahydro[2]pyrindene as a single diastereoisomer.     

Rate constants for anilidyl radical cyclization reactions

[reaction: see text] N-Aryl-5,5-diphenyl-4-pentenamidyl radicals (3) were produced by 266 nm laser-flash photolysis of the corresponding N-(phenylthio) derivatives, and the rate constants for the cyclizations of these radicals were measured directly. The 5-exo cyclization reactions were fast (k(c) > 2 x 10(5) s(-1)), and radicals 3 generally behaved as electrophilic reactants with a Hammett correlation of rho = 1.9 for five of the six radicals studied. However, the p-methoxyphenyl-substituted radical 3f cyclized much faster than expected from the Hammett analysis. Variable temperature studies of parent radical 3a (aryl = phenyl) gave an Arrhenius function with log k = 9.2 - 4.4/2.3RT (kcal/mol). The rate constant for the reaction of p-ethylphenyl-substituted anilidyl radical 3b with Bu(3)SnH at 65 degrees C was k(T) = 4 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1).     

Radicals masquerading as electrophiles: a computational study of the intramolecular addition reactions of acyl radicals to imines

Ab initio calculations using 6-311G**, cc-pVDZ, and aug-cc-pVDZ, with (MP2, QCISD, CCSD(T)) and without (UHF) electron correlation, and density functional methods (BHandHLYP and B3LYP) predict that cyclization of the 5-aza-5-hexenoyl and (E)-6-aza-5-hexenoyl radicals proceed to afford the 5-exo products. At the CCSD(T)/cc-pVDZ//BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ level of theory, energy barriers (deltaE(double dagger)) of 36.1 and 47.0 kJ mol(-1) were calculated for the 5-exo and 6-endo pathways for the cyclization of the 5-aza-5-hexenoyl radical. On the other hand, at the same level of theory, deltaE(double dagger) of 38.9 and 45.4 kJ mol(-1) were obtained for the 5-exo and 6-endo cyclization modes of (E)-6-aza-5-hexenoyl radical, with exothermicities of about 27 and 110 kJ mol(-1) calculated for the exo and endo modes, respectively. Under suitable experimental conditions, the 6-endo cyclization product is likely to dominate. Analysis of the molecular orbitals involved in these ring-closure reactions indicate that both reactions at nitrogen are assisted by dual orbital interactions involving simultaneous SOMO-pi* and LP-pi* overlap in the transitions states. Interestingly, the (Z)-6-aza-5-hexenoyl radical, that cannot benefit from these dual orbital effects is predicted to ring-close exclusively in the 5-exo fashion.     

Titanocene catalyzed 4-exo cyclizations: mechanism, experiment, catalyst design

A method for the preparation of a variety of cyclobutanes via 4-exo cyclization of radicals is presented. Radical generation is carried out by electron transfer from titanocene(III) chlorides to epoxides. The reaction relies on the acceleration of the cyclization through the use of alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds as radical traps and the thermodynamic stabilization of the cyclobutylcarbinyl radicals through conjugation. The mechanism of the transformation was investigated by a combined theoretical and experimental study. The computational results provide the crucial energetic and structural features of pertinent intermediates and transition structures. Moreover, the origins of the diastereoselectivity of the 4-exo cyclization are outlined for the first time. Catalysts for those cases where "Cp2TiCl" did not perform in a satisfactory manner have been devised. Through the introduction of tert-butyl or cyclo-hexyl substituted cyclopentadienyl ligands the longevity of the pivotal beta-titanoxy radicals is increased sufficiently enough to enable the slow but often surprisingly diastereoselective formation of the cyclobutylcarbinyl radical. The resulting transformation constitutes the first general approach to cyclobutanes using radical chemistry.     

5-exo Radical cyclization onto 3-alkoxyketimino-1, 6-anhydromannopyranoses. Efficient preparation of synthetic intermediates for (-)-tetrodotoxin

Ketoxime ethers at C3 of 1,6-anhydro-beta-D-mannopyranose derivatives were found to be useful 5-exo radical traps of alkyl and vinyl radicals generated at a chain tethered to the C2 hydroxyl group, allowing advanced synthetic intermediates for (-)-tetrodotoxin to be prepared from D-mannose in good overall yield.     

Generation and trapping of alkene radical cations under nonoxidizing conditions: formation of six-membered rings by exo- and endo-mode cyclizations

[reaction: see text] It is demonstrated that alkene radical cations generated by the radical ionic fragmentation of beta-(phosphatoxy)alkyl radicals undergo efficient nucleophilic capture by amines in either the 6-exo or 6-endo modes, leading to six-membered nitrogen heterocycles. Suitable placement of an alkene enables the juxtaposition of a radical cyclization resulting in the formation of both the indolizidine and 1-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane skeleta.     

Laser flash photolysis kinetic studies of enol ether radical cations. Rate constants for heterolysis of alpha-methoxy-beta-phosphatoxyalkyl radicals and for cyclizations of enol ether radical cations

Two series of enol ether radical cations were studied by laser flash photolysis methods. The radical cations were produced by heterolyses of the phosphate groups from the corresponding alpha-methoxy-beta-diethylphosphatoxy or beta-diphenylphosphatoxy radicals that were produced by 355 nm photolysis of N-hydroxypryidine-2-thione (PTOC) ester radical precursors. Syntheses of the radical precursors are described. Cyclizations of enol ether radical cations 1 gave distonic radical cations containing the diphenylalkyl radical, whereas cyclizations of enol ether radical cations 2 gave distonic radical cation products containing a diphenylcyclopropylcarbinyl radical moiety that rapidly ring-opened to a diphenylalkyl radical product. For 5-exo cyclizations, the heterolysis reactions were rate limiting, whereas for 6-exo and 7-exo cyclizations, the heterolyses were fast and the cyclizations were rate limiting. Rate constants were measured in acetonitrile and in acetonitrile solutions containing 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, and several Arrhenius functions were determined. The heterolysis reactions showed a strong solvent polarity effect, whereas the cyclization reactions that gave distonic radical cation products did not. Recombination reactions or deprotonations of the radical cation within the first-formed ion pair compete with diffusive escape of the ions, and the yields of distonic radical cation products were a function of solvent polarity and increased in more polar solvent mixtures. The 5-exo cyclizations were fast enough to compete efficiently with other reactions within the ion pair (k approximately 2 x 10(9) s(-1) at 20 degrees C). The 6-exo cyclization reactions of the enol ether radical cations are 100 times faster (radical cations 1) and 10 000 times faster (radical cations 2) than cyclizations of the corresponding radicals (k approximately 4 x 10(7) s(-1) at 20 degrees C). Second-order rate constants were determined for reactions of one enol ether radical cation with water and with methanol; the rate constants at ambient temperature are 1.1 x 10(6) and 1.4 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1), respectively.     

Controlling the regiochemistry of radical cyclizations

This review describes the results of our recent studies on the control of the regiochemistry of radical cyclizations. N-vinylic alpha-chloroacetamides generally cyclized in a 5-endo-trig manner to give five-membered lactams, whereas 4-exo-trig cyclization occurred when the cyclized radical intermediates were highly stabilized by an adjacent phenyl or phenylthio group to afford beta-lactams. The 5-exo or 6-exo cyclization of aryl radicals onto the alkenic bond of enamides could be shifted to the corresponding 6-endo or 7-endo mode of cyclization by a positional change of the carbonyl group of enamides. The 6-endo- and 7-endo-selective aryl radical cyclizations were applied to radical cascades for the synthesis of alkaloids such as phenanthroindolizidine, cephalotaxine skeleton, and lennoxamine. The 5-exo-trig cyclization of an alkyl radical onto the alkenyl bond of enamides could also be shifted to the 6-endo mode by a positional change of the carbonyl group of enamides. The 6-endo- selective cyclization was applied to the radical cascade to afford a cylindricine skeleton. Other examples of controlling the regiochemistry of radical cyclizations and their applications to the synthesis of natural products are also discussed.     

Generation of alpha-phosphonovinyl radicals and development of a new route to highly functionalized vinylphosphonates and vinylphosphonate-incorporated carbocyclic or heterocyclic compounds via a radical trapping sequence

The first direct generation of synthetically useful alpha-phosphonovinyl radicals was achieved by treatment of alpha-phosphonovinyl halides with a tributyltin radical. The alpha-phosphonovinyl radicals 2a-d were trapped with electron-rich olefins and an electron-deficient olefin to produce alpha-functionalized vinylphosphonates 3a-f in 16-55% yields. The alpha-phosphonovinyl radicals 7e-g containing the YCH2CH=CH2 (Y = O, CH2, S) substituent at the beta-position afforded mixtures of 5-exo and 6-endo cyclization products, 5e-g and 6e-g, in good yields. The 5-exo/6-endo product ratios increase in the following order of the beta-substituent: OCH2CH=CH2 > CH2CH2CH=CH2 > SCH2CH=CH2. The effects of the beta-substituents upon the cyclization reaction were discussed. Radical cyclization of alpha-phosphonovinyl radicals bearing functional groups such as geranyloxy, geranylthio, and (2-cyclohexen-1-yl)thio groups at the beta-position afforded 5-exo, 5-exo and 6-endo, and cis-fused-5,6-ring cyclization products incorporating an alpha,beta-unsaturated phosphonate unit within the ring, respectively, in good yields. The alpha-phosphonovinyl radical 20 underwent tandem radical cyclization-radical cyclization to produce a mixture of two isomeric bicyclo[4.3.0]nonenes including a vinylphosphonate moiety in high yield.     

5-Endo-trig radical cyclizations: disfavored or favored processes?

Relative kinetic data were determined for the 5-endo-trig cyclization of radical 12 compared to hydrogen abstraction from (TMS)(3)SiH in the temperature range of 344-430 K, which allows for the estimation of a rate constant of 2 x 10(4) s(-)(1) at 298 K with an activation energy of ca. 9 kcal/mol for the cyclization process. The 5-endo-trig cyclization of a variety of radicals that afford five-membered nitrogen-containing heterocycles was addressed computationally at the UB3LYP/6-31G level. The 5-endo vs 4-exo mode of cyclication and the effect of delocalization of the unpaired electron in the transition state were investigated. Because the ring formed during cyclization contains five sp(2) centers, electrocyclization via a pentadienyl-like resonance form was also considered. For comparison, similar calculations were performed for 4-penten-1-yl and related radicals. The factors that affect the activation energies of homolytic 5-endo-trig cyclization were determined. In the absence of steric or conformational effects, the endo cyclization to form the five-membered ring was strongly favored over exo cyclization to form the four-membered ring not only on thermodynamic grounds but also kinetically. When a substituent on the double bond was able to delocalize the unpaired electron in the transition state of the 4-exo path, the two modes of cyclization became kinetically comparable. These results have an important bearing on the generalization of the Baldwin-Beckwith rules, which classified the 5-endo-trig radical cyclization as a "disfavored" process.     

On the mechanism and kinetics of radical reactions of epoxyketones and epoxynitriles induced by titanocene chloride

The reactions of a series of epoxynitriles and epoxyketones induced by titanocene chloride have been studied. The kinetics of the decyanogenation of beta,gamma-epoxynitriles with Ti(III) corresponds to a radical reaction (k25 approximately 106 s-1), as demonstrated by competition experiments with H-transfer from 1,4-cyclohexadiene (1,4-CHD) or PhSH or conjugate addition to acrylonitrile. The 5-exo cyclization onto nitrile induced by Ti(III) is a radical reaction (k25 approximately 107 s-1) as seen in competition experiments with H-transfer from PhSH or the titanocene-water complex. The iminyl or alkoxyl radicals generated by 5-exo cyclization onto nitriles or ketones only undergo a reduction with Ti(III). This reaction overwhelms any alternative process, such as tandem cyclization onto alkenes or beta-scission. Iminyl radicals generated by 4-exo cyclizations onto nitriles undergo reduction with Ti(III) and beta-scission reaction in a ratio of 96:4 when the alpha-substituent is CN. Alkoxyl radicals from 4-exo cyclizations onto ketone carbonyls undergo reduction with Ti(III) and beta-scission in a ratio of 60:40 when the alpha-substituent is COOR. In nearly all the reactions studied, the role of Ti(III) is triple: a radical initiator (homolytic cleavage of oxirane), a Lewis acid (coordination to CN or C=O), and a terminator (reduction of iminyl or alkoxyl radicals).     

Cyclizations of N-stannylaminyl radicals onto nitriles

[reaction: see text] Stannylaminyl radicals derived from radical reactions of Bu(3)SnH with azidoalkylmalononitriles exhibit highly efficient 5- and 6-exo cyclization onto either nitrile group to give aminoiminyl radicals that in turn are reduced to amidines or undergo successive 5-exo cyclization onto an internal alkene.     

5-Exo versus 6-endo cyclization of primary aminyl radicals: an experimental and theoretical investigation

The cyclization of neutral primary pent-4-enylaminyl radicals was investigated experimentally and theoretically. Unlike the corresponding secondary aminyl radicals, primary pent-4-enylaminyl radicals underwent efficient cyclization to afford the pyrrolidine and/or piperidine products in good to high yields. While the simple pent-4-enylaminyl radical gave predominately the 5-exo cyclization product, 4-chloropent-4-enylaminyl radicals led to the formation of the corresponding 6-endo cyclization products in excellent regioselectivity. Theoretical calculations revealed that the 5-exo cyclization rate of primary aminyl radicals is about 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than that of secondary aminyl radicals.     

Bond rotation dynamics of enamides: the effect of the acyl group and potential for chirality transfer during 5-endo trig radical cyclizations

Barriers to rotation of the N-alkenyl bond in a series of N-cycloalkenyl-N-benzyl acetamide derivatives have been measured in different solvents by variable-temperature NMR experiments. The barriers range from 9.7 to 14.2 kcal/mol, depending on substituents on the acetamide acyl group. Polar solvents such as chloroform and methanol increase the barrier to rotation compared to nonpolar solvents such as toluene. The barrier to rotation of "mimics" for acetamide-based radicals are estimated. The relative order of the values of k(rot) for different acyl groups parallels their reported Taft E(s) paramaters. For successful chirality transfer in 5-endo trig radical cyclization, it is evident that rotations would need to be significantly slower than those reported here.     

Cyclization of aryl acyl radicals generated from S-(4-cyano)phenyl thiolesters by a nickel complex catalyzed electroreduction

Aromatic acyl radicals generated from S-(4-cyano)phenyl 2-alkenylthiobenzoate by a nickel complex catalyzed electroreduction undergo 5- and 6-exo cyclization to give 1-indanone and dihydro-1-naphthalenone derivatives, respectively.